CROSTINI WITH BLACK OLIVES & FENNEL

There is something wonderful about the combination of sautéed olives and fennel. Crostini con Olive Nere e Finocchio

1 French baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 medium bulb fennel, fronds removed (save some for garnish), diced

2 T extra-light olive oil

¼ medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ t red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup pitted and chopped Italian black olives

Grill bread slices on a grill pan over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides.

In a skillet over low heat, sauté the fennel in oil for 10 minutes.

Add the onion and continue to sauté for another 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sauté another couple of minutes; add the black olives and heat through.

Spoon the olive-fennel mixture on top of each slice of bread and top with some fennel fronds.

 

ITALIAN SAUSAGES WITH PEPPERS & ONIONS - Salsicce con Peperoni e Cipolle

Get the best Italian sausages you can find.  If you have any leftovers, put the sausages on a roll with spicy mustard or pair them with tomato sauce and cheese for an Italian Sausage Grinder.

Polenta

2 cups water

2 cups chicken stock

½ t sea salt

1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
2 T unsalted butter

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Sausages

2 T avocado or olive oil, divided

5 to 6 good quality Italian sausages, hot or mild

4 bell peppers, various colors, seeded and sliced

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 t freeze-dried or chopped fresh oregano

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and chicken stock to a boil, then add the sea salt.

Add the polenta to the saucepan in a gentle stream, whisking as you pour.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent it from sticking.

Remove from stove, add the butter and grated Parmigiano cheese

Set aside with a lid to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat.

Add the sausages and fry, turning several times, for about 20 minutes.

Transfer to a cutting board; pour the grease from the skillet and discard.

Let the skillet cool slightly and wipe out with paper towels.

Heat the other tablespoon of oil over medium heat, add the peppers and onions, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cut the sausages diagonally into 3 or 4 pieces each an return to the skillet with the peppers and onion.

Lower heat and add the garlic and oregano, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook another 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve with the polenta.

Serves 4

BRUSCHETTE WITH PEARS, ASIAGO, & WILD MUSHROOMS

The sweetness of the pears, the creaminess of the Asiago cheese and the earthiness of the wild mushrooms, make this a delicious appetizer. It is a symphony for your taste buds. I used cremini and oyster mushrooms but use your favorite mushrooms. 

1 baguette

1 T avocado or olive oil

2 T unsalted butter

A couple handfuls of cremini & wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T chopped Italian parsley, divided

1 to 2 pears, thinly sliced

Asiago or other melting cheese, sliced

Cut baguette into 12 to 14 slices.

Place on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for just a few minutes to toast.
Set aside on the baking sheet.

Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet, over medium-high heat.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes, to a golden brown.

Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Stir in half of the parsley and set aside.

Place a slice or two of pear on each slice of bread.

Top with some Asiago.

Place under the broiler, just until the cheese is melted.

Reheat mushroom mixture for a couple of minutes.

Top each bruschetta with a spoonful of mushrooms and a sprinkling of parsley.

Buon appetito!

RIGATONI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE SAUCE

In my Italian-American cookbook, I make serve this Italian Sausage Sauce over pappardelle pasta.  I love the way the sauce gets into the rigatoni, and now this is my favorite pasta with this sauce.

1 lb mild or hot Italian sausages, about 5 links

½ cup good dry Italian white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

2 T olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 (28-oz) can whole peeled Italian tomatoes

2 T tomato paste

1 t freeze-dried or dried oregano

1 t minced fresh basil or freeze-dried basil

1 t red pepper flakes, optional

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb rigatoni pasta

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese

Remove sausage from casings and place in a large bowl.

Pour in some of the white wine and crush with hands until sausage is in small pieces.

The wine makes it easier to break up the sausage.

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. 

Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the sausages and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon.

Add the rest of the wine and cook until wine has mostly evaporated.

In the same large bowl, pour in the tomatoes and hand-crush them, removing the hard center cores. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to chop the tomatoes.

Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot along with the oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer 30 minutes.

Boil the pasta in salted water for about 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente.

Save about a ladle full of pasta water to pour into the sausage sauce.

Drain the pasta and pour back into the pot.

Add a couple ladles of the sausage sauce and toss.

Spoon into warm pasta bowls and add a little more sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Serves 4

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

I prefer this dish with pancetta, but If you are a purist, make it with guanciale (pork cheeks).  If you don't have pancetta, go ahead and make it with unflavored bacon.  Bucatini, a thick pasta with a center hole, like a straw, is the traditional way to make this recipe.  

Authentic bucatini alla carbonara does not contain cream.  The creaminess comes from the eggs and cheese.  I used the eggs my friend, Sandi, gave me.  The yolks were the color of a beautiful sunset.  Grate the cheeses, slice the shallots and garlic first and set them aside on a cutting board. This was my son, Brandon’s, favorite.  Why go to a restaurant for this when you can make it to perfection at home?

6 oz pancetta, guanciale, or 4 strips unflavored bacon, chopped 

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

½ cup dry white wine

1 lb spaghetti 

4 fresh large egg yolks

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

1 T chopped fresh basil

In a large skillet that is big enough to hold the cooked pasta, cook the pancetta,  guanciale, or bacon until crisp.

Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.

Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, add the olive oil and sauté the shallot for about 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up the flavorful brown particles. 

Turn off the heat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook 7 to 8 minutes, or until al dente. 

Drain the pasta, but save a cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, put the egg yolks into a mixing bowl. 

Add half of the grated cheeses and season to taste with black pepper.

Whisk until well combined. 

Return the skillet to low heat. 

Add the hot drained pasta to the pan and toss for a couple of minutes to incorporate.

Remove the skillet from the burner and pour the egg-cheese mixture onto the pasta, tossing quickly and thoroughly, which will gently cook the eggs using the heat of the pasta, but not scramble them.

Return the skillet to low heat, add cooked pork and toss another minute.

Add the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce.

Add a little more grated cheese, the chopped basil, and serve.

Serves 4

 

SPICY PAPPARDELLE AI FRUTTI DI MARE

You can use any pasta that you like in this recipe. Frutti di mare is a popular multi-seafood dish from the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Frutti di mare means 'fruit of the sea' and can include all types of seafood, including mussels, clams, shrimp, and calamari. You can adjust the heat by adding less red pepper flakes and if there is a seafood you do not like, leave it out. This is sure to please any seafood lover.

1 recipe for Marinara Sauce or your favorite store bought 

1 cup dry white wine

20 mussels

20 littleneck or Manila clams

                                      

1 T extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil                             

1 large shallot, diced                                                 

2 cloves garlic, minced                                                

1 cup dry white wine                                          

2 ladles of the marinara sauce

1 t red pepper flakes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 large shrimp, peeled and tails removed

10 calamari rings with some tentacles

½ lb pappardelle or fettuccine pasta

2 T chopped fresh basil

2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley

Scrub clams and mussels under cold running water and place in a bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

Remove from refrigerator and add cold water to the bowl to purge the shellfish. 

Drain water from the bowl before steaming. If your mussels have beards, do not remove the beards until just before cooking them, or they will begin to slowly die.

In a saucepan over medium heat, add wine, drained mussels, and clams.

Cover and slowly boil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mussels and clams have opened. 

While shellfish are steaming, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. When finished cooking, pour drained pasta back into the pot. Add a little of the sauce and mix to combine.

While pasta is cooking, add the oil to a skillet, over medium heat.

Add diced shallot, and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the wine, Marinara Sauce, and red pepper flakes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the broth from the pan with the clams and mussels into a glass pitcher.

Add 1 cup of the juice to the sauce in the skillet.

Add the shrimp and calamari and let simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until shrimp are pink.

Divide pasta between 2 warm pasta bowls.

Pour the seafood and sauce evenly over the pasta.

Garnish with chopped basil and parsley.

Serves 2 as a main course and 4 as a primi piatti.